Jasjeet Singh was convicted of killing fellow classmate Brian Odipo two years ago.

Two years ago, Steven and Mary Odipo lost their son, Brian, a promising Stevens High track standout who was headed to the Marines, when he was shot by a classmate.

On Thursday, Bhupinder and Kulwinder Singh temporarily lost theirs, Jasjeet, as he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for murdering Brian Odipo, 17.

Rather than give in to the emotion that resulted in their son's death, the Odipo family members told Jasjeet Singh in victim impact statements that they forgive him for the Oct. 15, 2010, shooting.

The trial established that Singh shot Odipo in the head and leg at Singh's parents' home. He claimed it was self-defense — that he became angry because Brian test-fired a gun Singh was trying to sell him, and that Singh wrestled it away and shot Odipo when Odipo came at him. But other witnesses said Singh disliked Odipo, who was brought here from Kenya when he was 5.

“You took our son away from us and hurt our family and your family, but we don't have the secret hatred you had for Brian,” said Steven Odipo, an Army chaplain stationed at Fort Bliss. “We want you to know we have no hatred, no anger toward you, but forgiveness.”

Odipo also told Singh that that the world is a community, where you love and care for one another.

“If you have differences that may create some hostile feelings, use the systems that are available to address those concerns,” Steven Odipo said. “Don't take matters into your own hands.”

Unable to sway jurors a day earlier that his client did not commit murder, Jasjeet Singh's lawyer, John Convery, convinced the jury Thursday that Singh acted under “sudden passion with adequate cause,” which lowered Singh's sentencing exposure to between two years and 20 years.

Prosecutors David Lunan and Jonathan Levy told jurors Singh did not act under the mitigating factor and requested they stick with the murder-punishment range of five years to life instead. And Lunan further asked that they give Singh “no less than 30 years.”

The jury chose 11 years after Convery painted his client, who's now 19, as a good kid who took advanced placement courses and honors classes at Stevens.

Singh's mother, Kulwinder, speaking through an interpreter, testified that her son was a nice young boy who helped with housework and chores.

“He is our life,” she said, crying as she buried her face in her hands.

But Lunan called him as a cold-blooded killer whose family didn't know him well.

“He had this dark side his own parents and sister didn't know about,” Lunan told jurors. “He has this fascination with guns. He's lying about ... a gun, driving the car without their permission. There's something going on with him.”

Lunan added that Singh shot Odipo, “not once, but twice, in the back.”

Then, “he left him there for 45 minutes, convulsing on the floor.”

And rather than call 911, Lunan said, someone else dialed the number and handed Singh the phone. Singh instead lied to dispatchers, saying Odipo was shot by someone in black who ran away. That, Lunan argued, merited a lengthy sentence.

Convery reacted to the sentence by repeating what he told the jury in closing arguments in the punishment phase.

“I believe in my case and I'm disappointed that they didn't find him not guilty,” Convery said. “I understand their reasoning and I respect it. They had a very difficult and tragic case.”